How to avoid demolition and make money

Selling a family home is tough, putting a wrecking ball through it is horrifying. Here's how you can avoid going through that when it’s time for something new — and make money in the process.

Less greenery on the walk up, but more behind.Source:Supplied

Selling a much-loved family home is tough, the thought of putting a wrecking ball through it is potentially horrifying.

Thanks to a left-field but increasingly common idea, the internet and a willing buyer up a couple of highways, the Rissman family dodged that kind of undesirable demolition for their Bentleigh California bungalow.

Having decided their lifestyle required a more low maintenance modern pad after their two children moved out, Graeme Rissman and his wife posted an online advertisement for the bulky buy — pick up only.

It would have been a shame to demolish this charming facade.Source:Supplied

New life in central Victoria.Source:Supplied

On the road.Source:Supplied

“We’ve lived here for 25 years and decided that we wanted to rebuild but couldn’t deal with knocking it over,” Mr Rissman said.

“We’d done a renovation about 12 years ago and it’s a good house, so we put if up for sale on Gumtree.”

A buyer in Trentham, where the Rissmans had holidayed, about 87km northwest of Melbourne, beat about four others — including someone in a neighbouring Bentleigh street — to snap it up for about $40,000.

“A lady overlooking the lake bought it, cut it in four and transported it to Trentham, and she’s put it all back together the same as it was in Bentleigh,” Mr Rissman said.

“It’s fantastic. To come back to where we’ve lived for 25 years with our neighbours and have the old house rejuvenated with new life is really fulfilling.”

An exterior paint job and a change of scenery are the only differences.

The house was cut in four.Source:Supplied

Keep truckin’.Source:Supplied

Mr Rissman, who works in the property industry, said he’d seen a few examples of people relocating homes and it was “easy to do if you know what you’re doing”.

The family built two mirror-image townhouses on their Bentleigh block, one for themselves and the other to sell.

The four-bedroom lock up and leave-style property at 13A Charlton St is on the market for $1.425-$1.525 million ahead of a scheduled August 3 auction through Jellis Craig.

The townhouse next to the Rissmans’ new place is for sale.Source:Supplied

You can see why the family wanted to move towards something more modern.Source:Supplied

Low-maintenance living.Source:Supplied

Meanwhile, the iconic house from The Castle was transported even further from Strathmore to Beechworth at the end of 2017, and is looking healthy after a recent update.

And a weatherboard house was moved to a Maldon block by Kieran and Karen Moy, who saved it from destruction in McKinnon a few years ago and finalised the move last year.